Gaming shows are almost as old as broadcasting itself, with the first shows appearing on the radio around 1923. The earliest versions of gaming shows on TV and radio were simple concepts in which audience members were asked questions, and the high scorer was given a small prize. Other shows had the audience mail in questions, with a reward given out to the people whose questions were most challenging.
Over time, gaming shows have battled to stay in mainstream TV and radio, with several instances of scandals, Supreme Court hearings, and harsh gaming laws threatening to end the genre that everyone loves so much. Today, the gaming TV show sector is a vibrant and exciting industry that is thriving, with shows like Naked Attraction, Love Island and the fictional Squid Game rewriting the industry once again.
With that in mind, we will take a look at some of today’s best gaming TV shows that are currently broadcasting.
The Joker’s Wild, 1979 – 2019
The Joker’s Wild was a popular game show that aired between 1972 and 2019. Also known as Joker, Joker, Joker, the show featured contestants who answered questions based on categories determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine.
Using both the need for knowledge that regular gaming shows require and the exciting luck feature that slot games use, the show was dubbed “the game where knowledge is king and lady luck is queen”. The show became so popular that a children’s version began airing from 1979 to 1981.
While this show is no longer aired on tv, you are able to find many videos from popular episodes on sites like YouTube, as well as Roku TV, Amazon, and the TBS and CBS sites. In the meantime, if you want to get involved in the excitement of slot games, try out Megaways Games for the best online slots experience.
Halo, 2022
Credit: Paramount Plus
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Halo first began as a real-time strategy game for PC and was later adapted into a first-person shooter game which was exclusive to Microsoft Xbox. The game was incredibly popular and has since turned into a gaming franchise and now a TV show, too. Taken on by Paramount Plus, the sci fi series has some interesting plot developments and long term character development that may take users a while to get into, however fans say that it is worth sticking with it.
So far, the show has divided critics and long-term Halo franchise fans, although it seems like another Season is likely as the series is receiving much success.
Gangs of London, 2022
Crime shows are an incredibly fascinating and popular genre, in which most of us are familiar with shows like Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad, and The Sopranos which have had global success. Therefore, when it was announced that the popular video game Gangs of London was becoming a TV show, there was no doubt that it would do well too, even if it did have a big reputation to live up to.
Critics have so far described the show as ‘a masterpiece for its gritty action and tense atmosphere’. While it has incredibly high ratings among watchers, the show itself is incredibly niche so more work needs to be done to promote the series, with some fans of the game itself never having heard of the TV show.
The Cuphead Show, 2022
Credit: Netflix
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The popular Cuphead games are cherished by many as a throwback to beloved classic Walt Disney animations that remind some of us of our childhoods. Based on animations like Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, and other Disney classics around this time, the show actually bares no resemblance to the plot of the games, instead it simply carries on the unique animation style in an intriguing series that brings old school animation back to life.
While the plot may not be based on the game, the directors of the show do, however, allow some of the bosses from the games to make an appearance, including the Devil and the Dice King.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, 2022
Japanese anime has been a hugely popular genre across the world and in more recent times, particularly in the Western world. Therefore, it was no surprise when Cyberpunk: Edgerinners hit the market as an anime video game. Original reviews rated the game as glitchy, although many still enjoyed this new genre, which attracted many video gaming fans across the world.
Now, the game has been made into a TV series which uses humour and heart to explore a dark and tech-ravaged world. There’s high-stakes action throughout the show, an interesting love plot between two of the main characters, and some impressive graphics, making it an incredibly popular show among anime TV show fans and gamers alike.
Overall, video games and tv shows merging is not a new concept, but as video games get more and more advanced and in-depth, it is creating a whole new potential target audience for many hit TV shows and movies that expand on these gaming worlds. Keep your eyes peeled for the latest gaming TV shows being released this year.
